Harp & Shamrock

Definitely better when they still had a pool table. Best days to go are Monday’s, all day happy hour, or before a concert at the Rave. Personable staff – Ted is the best.

Ted the bartender is hilarious. He’s the hipster bartender you never knew you needed in your life. Hippie is probably a more accurate description. He will mess around with you and boss around your drink orders like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. You won’t understand a lot of what he says, but it doesn’t matter because you’ll be laughing so hard from his antics.
The other bartenders are also great. Ask to play the game with the dice and make sure to buy some bottles of PBR if you’re bored. Play some pool or darts or just converse with people. I love this place.
Reasons to go:
— You live around here
— You’re waiting for a concert at the Eagle/​Rave
— You’re a student in Milwaukee
— You want to spice up your life
If you’re not looking for a dive bar experience, don’t come here. If you are, just go with everything that happens in the bar.

Good choice for cheap drinks before a concert at the Rave/​Eagles Ballroom… within walking distance if you get here early enough to snag a parking spot. I’m pretty much giving this place 3 stars because the drinks are very reasonably priced and again, the location being so close to the music venue.
There was also a crazy dice game that my sister’s bf knew about and was playing. And for 50 cents, he rolled a straight with da dice and received a free drink… so, can’t beat that, right?
This place is a total dive… be prepared for a bit of dingy-​ness and it’s not very big in here, so large groups I would probably steer clear.

If you are an MU student I suggest trying the Harp and Sham. I have been coming here since I moved to Milwaukee and it is had become my go-​to bar.
The bar tenders are the main reason you would want to go here as there is nothing particularly amazing about the venue, except for the pool table and darts. The bartenders are some if the nicest I have ever met
The drinks are average priced.
The regulars are fun and interesting.
There are 2 dart boards and a pool table which do not charge much to use ($ 0.50 to play pool). The building is old and leans into the house next door, which adds to the charm.
I have a blast every time I visit. I never leave disappointed.

This Milwaukee dive bar could use some work. The place seems to have a bit of a stench to it every time we walk in. We go here because it is the closest bar to where some friends of ours live. The bathrooms, when working are as bad as it gets. Smelly, dirty and small. The locks don’t work and they don’t even have disposable hand towels or air driers, only the old fashion rotating drier. There have been several times when no soap is available either.
There are some good things about this place. The prices are reasonable, and they pour a good stiff drink. They have a pool table and a dart board, which are some nice additions. The staff is friendly enough and the people there are always pleasant.

This bar rocks. The end.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good dive bar, and a dive bar this one certainly is. My problem wasn’t really with the staff or overall atmosphere, but the crowd on a recent Saturday night trip was awful. My boyfriend lives a block away and had never been to Harp & Shamrock, so we decided to go in for a drink or two. All of the people at the bar (about 15 – 20) were close friends or acquaintances, and knew the bartenders very well. Generally they were a tattooed, pierced, group of metal heads. While we were in the bar we didn’t have any serious problems, but as we left a group of those patrons started harassing my boyfriend and I, and the staff there stood by and said nothing. I’ve lived in Milwaukee most of my life, I have tattoos and piercings, I like metal, and neither he nor I walked into this bar looking like a couple of uppity Marquette preps. I understand that people do rude things when they’re drunk, but if this bar’s entire Saturday night crowd is made up entirely of angry friends of the bartenders, they’re going to eliminate any new customers. I’ll never go back.

I went to college in Milwaukee. For most of my time, I only frequented the Harp and Sham when it would open up at 6 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Even though it would ruin my week, there was something so special staying up and realizing who your real true friends are, those who were able to brave the harsh milwaukee winters after a night out drinking and going to the harp and sham for breakfast.
I took my younger sister there when she visited me. It was a blast. I am sure she will never ever forget it hahaha.
However, towards the end, I started going there at night just to have a couple beers… and it is great. The bartender is friendly, and they have a great jukebox, and a decent pool table. It really is a good time. It is very laid back and casual. Not too loud. Just a total dive bar.
Any dive fanatics must check out this bar if they are in Milwaukee.
Oh, and I highly recommend «opening» the harp and sham at 6 am’s. It is quite the experience.

This is the one of the greatest bars in a city with a lot of great bars. The bartenders here are all extremely nice. The music selection is great. This bar doesn’t have a whole lot of fancy beers, so if that’s your thing this place isn’t for you. The only two beers on tap are Miller Lite and MGD, though they do have other beers in bottles. If you’re looking for a fun drunken night with some friends there aren’t many better places to go.

If you want to experience a tavern that your father or grandfather might have patronized with their buddies after work this is it. This is a very well worn classic-​dive bar with a surprisingly good selection of local and imported beers. We really enjoyed the unpretentious atmosphere and very friendly help. This is a functional time-​capsule from the 60’s and 70’s from the Pabst sign on the outside to the wood paneling and carpet on this inside. We met some very kind and gregarious locals that made us feel like regulars. This is a place that doesn’t need to make a statement about anything, it’s honest, used, real and friendly.

We were in town and «stuck» in this neighborhood, if you will. The Eagles Club/​Rave was kind of sketchy, and we needed to get away and scope out a local pub. Some strangers on the street recommended this place, so we decided to give it a shot. I mean, there wasn’t exactly anything else around.
On first glance, we were a little wary of walking inside. Judging by the neighborhood, we didn’t know if this was going to be a rough spot… we weren’t looking for any fights.
But we decided to risk it, and we experienced a great Milwaukee dive bar. Great jukebox, great people, and some tasty beers. This is a true locals bar, and we were welcomed by a regular who bought the whole bar a round… cheers to that!
The red-​headed bartender was super kind, and the owner was also cool, chilling on a stool and certainly having a good time with his buddies.
We managed to have some good beer as well. Of course, Milwaukee’s finest (High Life), as well as some New Glarus brew.
I recommend this place. Divey, cool locals, great jukebox, and cheap drinks. All you could want in a dive bar.